12 Oakdale

Our trip to the Keys was marvelous, but hard on my bracelets. First, I realized my sweet little beaded one I’d bought the last time we were down disappeared from my arm. All I can figure is that I accidentally pulled it off when I tucked my hands inside my long sleeved sun shirt. Surely if the elastic had broken, I’d have had beads in my shirt. As soon as I noticed it was missing , I retraced my steps at the gas station and the bait shop, but didn’t find it. I’d restrung the original on elastic bead string, adding the glow-in-the-dark bead I’d found at our campsite. Ah, well, I hope someone else is enjoying now. When we got back to our house, I realized the one made for me by Rani, mom of our old congregation’s pianist Brenda, was coming unstrung. Fortunately, I have all the beads, including the one I stepped on in our dining room, which was amazingly not sucked up by our Roomba. In between jewelry loses, it was a good trip. We were supposed to be in the cabin Saturday, but that was ov...

At Bahia Honda, Cabin 5, sitting by myself on the balcony, sun just peaking over the tree line. Such luxury. Time to ruminate. What will this fourth year living at our little house in Central Florida bring? I’m sure I’ve rambled before about the vagueness of my life now. So many possibilities, so many others no longer available. Old friends missing, either through death or distance. New friends somewhere on the horizon, but I’m not sure I have the energy to draw them close.  But here I am. Soon the coffee will be ready. Then I’ll go over to the bayside beach for a snorkel before the crowds appear and stir up the bottom silt. After that, yet to be determined. Back in Windermere, Tony and Tyler are rebuilding our dock and adding some seawall along its south side  to keep the yard from washing away. Or, at the price of a world cruise, we are hoping that will stop the erosion. Our contractor Peter from Q-ICE Builders seems confident, with the caveat that we can always extend the s...

  A day off from yard work to go fishing. We contracted with guide Steve Spatafora from iOutdoors for a 2-hour fishing trip on Lake Tohopekaliga, Lake Toho to the locals. Up at o’dark hundred to pick up Clara and drive to Kissimmee, which Google Maps said took 40 minutes when I checked the day before, but was only 20 at 6:00 Sunday morning. For once, we were early to an event.  We had worried all week about whether to cancel this venture, because Tropical Storm Fred was working its way up from Cuba, projected to head directly up the west coast of the Florida peninsula. Not too much wind, but lots of rain. We had until Friday afternoon to pull out, or we paid the whole price. I hemmed and hawed, however Grant thought we should go. Fred moved westwardly, and the weather was beautiful.  Clara got the first bite and reeled in a nice bass soon after we stopped. I had several bites but couldn’t get the hang of setting the hooks. Several shiners later, I had a massive pull and m...